I Won't Surrender
by Lil-Red06
Summary: It was those three words that broke them. One-shot.


I Won't Surrender

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The sounds of heavy breathing and the occasionally wracking cough could be heard from team Natsu as they faced an opponent tougher than any of them had ever anticipated.

Wendy coughed out blood. She clenched her wounded side as a flare of pain rippled through her small beaten and worn body. She was panting heavily and could barely stand on her two feet.

Lucy was finished. She had at some level accepted her defeat. Accepted her weakness. She was on all fours, blood and sweat dripping off her body onto the stained floors. Her keys were at a small corner of the large room way out of her reach. Not that it would matter, she was absolutely drained of magic power.

Erza had equiped enough times in this fight to completely diminish her magic. She weakly stood, trembling from the effort to simply do even that. Her fairy armor was destroyed and shattered leaving but a few pink pieces still intact, her breathing was as loud and hard as everyone elses which worried them some. Such a great warrior was brought to her knees.

Gray stood beside a certain pink headed team mate. Hid face was bloody and a large wound made its way down to the point of his chin. He too was trembling from the effort he was giving and something else... fear. The same fear he was sure they were all sharing.

Natsu Dragneel was the only one who stood tall. He was not breathing hard. He was not trembling. He was not afraid. He. Was. Mad.

Faster than any eye could blink the fire dragon slayer charged himself at the enemy. Despite being as worn and tired as the rest of his team was feeling he must keep going. His wounds were great but his will was greater. He just had to remember he had all his friends standing right behind him. His fist swung out and connected with something. With someone. The enemy fell down in an apparent shock as he looked over the dragon slayer. He had not been expecting one of them to get back up and continue fighting but this one... this one was special. A smile stretched upon his scarred face.

"Show me the power of a dragon... Dragneel" He snarled and watched as another fist bathed in its own fire made it's way to his stomach. He let out a laugh at the fight the whole group was putting up before stopping the attack and throwing Natsu aside like he was nothing.

Faster than should have been possible for someone so greatly wounded, Natsu quickly got back up and pushed on against his enemys defences. His friends looked on in awe. Perhaps they should be used to Natsu's will and determination by now but it was different this time.

They looked on in awe and a bit of horror. Their enemy was strong. Maybe too strong.

Erza had never once in her life doubted Natsu's determination. She didn't now. Not really. But this time she found a different doubt to place in Natsu. One she had never considered before.

She doubted his strength.

She suppressed a shudder to admit it even in her thoughts. She was truly afraid, she had never felt such fear. Their enemy was too powerful and Erza doubted that even Natsu was not strong enough to beat him. Erza had never admitted defeat but... she knew sometimes she would have to. She also knew this was one of those times.

But Natsu...

He would never know.

Never know when to quit.

It was frustrating really. He was going to get himself killed fighting an enemy such as this. They couldn't simply watch their friend die right before their eyes and do nothing. Nothing while he fought for them all.

Maybe he shouldn't be fighting at all. In fact, Gray was certain. His best friend needed to know when to quit. Needed to know when he had been defeated. In all the time that Gray had known Natsu, he had never backed down. Not once.

Unbeknown to Natsu his friends watched him in horror as he continued to be beaten to a pulp. Knowing that if this continued he would certainly die. Wendy was horrified to catch a glimpse of Natsu face as he charged the enemy once again to see his left eye damaged and bleeding it had caught her attention more than any of his other wounds simply because of how _bad _it looked, Wendy was not sure she could even find the right words it looked burned but... not from fire. His eye was pulsing a purple and black colour and she could see black snake-like lines streak its way down Natsu's face under the surface of his skin. It was no doubt a side effect of the powerful dark mages magic. She wished she could go and heal him but the dragon slayer was making it impossible. Lucy was sobbing lightly as she watched her friend fight. She could only watch. She was too weak to do anything but watch. They all were.

_**Crack**_

The sound echoed around the room and all was silent as four mages stood stock still. The silence lasted only a fraction of a second before Natsu's pained cry could be heard and a loud thump as his body hit the ground. Their enemy stood above the spirited dragon slayer and looked down upon him in pity.

"Weak" He grated out before stomping on Natsu's broken and twisted arm making him cry out again before clenching his teeth in pain trying to keep from crying out a third time.

"Natsu!" His friends cries barely registered in the fire mages mind as he tried to keep the pain out of his mind. The dark mage smiled at Natsu's weak form. Of course, the stupid kid should have known that he could not beat magic such as his, the ancient magic that was a figure of darkness, he made his enemy see and feel the darkness that lies in the evil of everything, even in themselves. His magic was a lost magic that was used in three very dangerous ways.

Creating Fear. The first was already accomplished long ago. Even if one dragon slayer wouldn't admit it.

Utter Defeat. The second was followed by the prospect of fear. Plant a paralyzing fear in their minds and they are essentially already defeated.

Pain. The third and final way he used his magic was his absolute favourite. Pain was something he knew well and made sure anyone who got in his way did as well. He would certainly make sure Natsu Dragneel never forgot the pain he inflicts on his weak body.

His magic crept into the fire mages mind burrowing itself deeper and deeper. There was an eerie silence as he stepped off of Natsu's arm and his friends screaming momentarily subsided. Natsu just had time to take a short relieved breath before it hit him.

With a simple twist of his hands, the dark mage laughed hysterically as his magic seeped into Natsu mind and triggered a deep internal suffering that was only seen to him. Natsu screamed once again as his head felt like it was being ripped in two, he couldn't think he couldn't do anything but scream. His body was light and he almost felt numb if not for the searing pain in his mind but he could not escape the pain that engulfed him now.

The dark mage let up on his magic a bit before completely releasing Natsu. Let's see if he's learning his lesson yet... The four mages that sat on the ground doing nothing but watch the heartbreaking scene cried and begged for their friend. Natsu Dragneel panted and took this time to regain his breath. And his spirit.

Very slowly. Very hesitantly. Natsu propped himself up on his elbows ignoring the searing pain in his arm and staring at his enemy coldly.

"Why don't you just give up?" Their enemy spat kicking Natsu in the face and making him go flat on his back.

Still. Natsu struggled to get back up. fatigue adorned his face and his body was covered in the blood of his wounds and the sweat of his effort.

"Stop this!" Erza screamed, not at their enemy this time, but at her foolish team mate who would not simply accept their defeat.

Natsu was in a sitting position.

"Please!" Lucy begged.

Natsu was on his knees.

"Natsu-nii!" Wendy screamed in the midst of her sobbing, hoping her voice would reach him.

Natsu was on his feet.

"Don't you fucking dare!" Gray warned, his heart lurching painfully at the thought of his best friend once again charging the enemy.

Natsu charged.

"I won't surrender!" Natsu cried out.

It was those words. Those three words that for so long, for so many previous battles gave them hope. Now... it crushed them.

Hope was always present in the guild of Fairy Tail. A guild that carried themselves strongly and with the upmost power. Their hope was sucluded to one thing though and that was Natsu. Or so they thought... Natsu still had hope... but they did not. How could they be hopeful when their normally lively and cheery friend was sacrificing himself, and for what? Simply to uphold Fairy Tails honor? They were on the ground. They were _defeated. _Their honor in the fight was gone, the only honor that could be found now was the recognition of defeat and the action of surrendering.

They continued to beg and scream and cry but they could do nothing. Those words were enough to shatter any hope of the dragon slayer simply giving up and admitting defeat. Those three words were enough to break them. They would watch their best friend sacrifice himself for them and they could do nothing. Nothing to stop him. He had already made up his mind, it had always been clear to Natsu that no matter what he was to keep fighting.

Those three words would bring the end of Natsu Dragneel.

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**Nonono, I told myself I would not put up another one shot until I put up a chapter story because I have so many that I want to continue working on but... urgh!**

**But yeah... I hope you liked it anyways. A different look on Natsu's sheer determination.**


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